Local Editor
Anti-war activists have begun a week of protests in east London in an effort to stop weapons and military equipment arriving at Britain’s biggest arms fair, the Guardian reported.
The biennial Defence and Security Equipment International (DSEI), which bills itself as “the world leading event” for buyers and sellers of military equipment, begins next week at the ExCeL center in Docklands.
More than 34,000 visitors are expected to attend the arms fair, including delegations from regimes accused of human rights abuses such as Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, as well as representatives of the world’s 10 biggest arms companies.
Keynote speakers include Michael Fallon, the defence secretary, and Liam Fox, the international trade secretary, as well as the chiefs of staff of the British armed forces.
According to the newspaper, thousands of protesters are expected to take action outside the ExCeL center throughout the week, with blockades, actions and demonstrations outside all main entrances in an effort to hamper exhibitors from setting up their stands for the four-day event, which opens on 12 September.
Protests on each day will have a different focus, from nuclear weapons to arms to Israel to free movement for people rather than weapons. Opponents to the fair say that some of the world’s most oppressive regimes are represented among buyers.
Andrew Smith, of Campaign Against the Arms Trade, which is helping to coordinate protests, said: “DSEI will bring many of the world’s most appalling regimes together with the biggest arms companies.
“Right now UK fighter jets and bombs are playing a central role in the destruction of Yemen; what will be the next atrocity they are used in? War, repression and injustice are fuelled by events like DSEI. It’s time to shut it down for good.”
Last year, nine defendants had charges of obstructing the highway outside DSEI dismissed after they successfully argued that they acted to stop greater crimes being committed using weapons bought in the UK.
“The defendants’ belief that weapons were being sold unlawfully at DSEI was supported by … detailed expert evidence,” said district judge Angus Hamilton as he dismissed the charges at Stratford magistrates court after hearing that illegal items, including torture implements and cluster munitions, had been found to be marketed there in previous years.
More than 1,600 makers and sellers of weapons and military equipment will exhibit at this year’s DSEI, according to the exhibition’s website. “Visitors can enjoy a range of exciting showcases and demonstrations, visiting ships and world class speakers,” it says.
Source: The Guardian, Edited by Website Team
